Nowadays, the internet is the primary way to find new businesses, research companies, make purchases, and more. Consumers, customers, and clients in various fields use search engines and platforms to find places that best suit their needs. Your company thus needs to be present to get the traffic you need to thrive. When your business is front and center, you’re more likely to get customers and make sales. One of the surefire methods to driving traffic is by optimizing keywords and ensuring that you’re showing up for specific, relevant keyphrases about your company, field, niche, or industry. Here’s helpful information about how to use keywords to boost your website traffic and get more customers!

Keyword Research

Keyword research is, as the name describes, conducting research to find out what keywords are relevant and how much traffic each one drives. You want to use a few tools to compile a list of the best keywords for your website. From this list, you’ll have a good launching point for pages and blogs.

For example, if you run a private dental practice, you’ll want to find what people search for when they’re seeking out dentists. If you have a specialty, such as periodontics or TMJ treatment, you should find what similar keywords people use when trying to find those services.

A Google ads account can give you a whole list of keywords with similar searches, as well as key information crucial for businesses, like how many times the keyword is searched per month, how much businesses pay to run advertisements with that keyword, the competition for the keyword, and much more. You can also use a website like Answer The Public to find similar keyphrases or blog ideas.

Once you’ve compiled a list of keywords, you can determine what is highly sought after and what is not. Cut what isn’t necessary and focus on what people want to find.

Google RankBrain

RankBrain is Google’s algorithm for determining how to rank web pages on the search engine. This determines the placement of each page based on a number of factors. In the past, pages used to rank high or on the first page if they had a large amount of keywords, but eventually, web designers were simply placing keywords everywhere on the page, often hidden at the bottom with invisible text (thus the term “keyword stuffing”).

Nowadays, RankBrain is in use. It actually determines what a user is trying to find and will match pages that answer the question. It doesn’t recognize sites filled with keywords; it uses legibility, readability, and information to rank pages. This means that keyword-driven content needs to be set up to answer users’ queries.

Therefore, unnatural sounding keyphrases do not provide any better search results than natural results. If your content says, “He is the best periodontal dentist Los Angeles,” it will not be considered completely legible, even though the keyphrase is an exact match. The page may rank lower because of this issue.

Google has also introduced the “Related Questions” section, which further helps understand what a user is searching for. Many web pages now use these keyphrases formed as questions to rank higher. If the keyphrase question has a sufficient answer, it may appear as a direct link.

Take Advantage of Keywords

So how do you take advantage of keywords? You may have done adequate research and come up with a list, but how do you implement them so you drive traffic and convert leads? Simple: an SEO professional can help, and may even take your business to the next level.

Clean Up Web Pages

The SEO professional will clean up the web pages you already have, either by greatly reducing the keywords or by focusing on only a few. This will allow the pages to start performing better, and they’ll be more efficient and user-friendly.

It’s important that your web pages do not contain too much information or too many different keywords. Instead of compiling all of your keywords services, or products on one page, spread them across a few with a navigable menu. This will encourage each web page to rank independently.

Utilize Blogs

Blogs are great tools for promoting additional keywords without cluttering your website. Your website should consist mainly of the important information: contact page, about page products or services, online ordering system, gallery, and the like. The blog is a separate section that has numerous posts within it.

These posts can each focus on a single keyphrase. Blogs are great for writing about those keyphrases that don’t exactly fit your website, but you still might be able to convert people who are searching for answers or information.

For example, if you run a body shop, you might be running ads or populating your site with keywords related to body work. However, you can still write blogs about car maintenance, engine troubles, customization, paint jobs, and more. This helps your website become a hub of information and lets you show up in similar searches. Your blog should be diverse within your field, but still relevant enough that you’ll get traffic from people who want adjacent or similar services.

Of course, you can also use your blog to expand on keywords that already populate your website.

An SEO professional can make sure that each blog is properly set up with keywords so that it will appear in searches.

Use Ad Campaigns

Ad campaigns cost money, but an SEO professional can make sure that you’re paying a small amount for high-priority keywords. Ads are great ways to make sure you’re appearing in the searches of potential customers and that you’re converting leads.

You can run ads on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and more. Keywords play a major role in outreach!

Need SEO and Keyword Help?

If you’re on the hunt for SEO help and proper keyword strategies, contact Promotion LA today. Our digital marketing and management agency can help boost your traffic and make sure that you’re getting the leads you need. We’ve been in business for more than two decades, and no one knows digital marketing and SEO better than we do.